Buying a Condo in Palm Beach County: What Should You Check Before You Commit?

When you buy a condo in Palm Beach County, you are buying into the building and its association as much as the unit. Before your review period ends, check the Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) and how reserves are funded, the milestone inspection status, any approved or proposed special assessments, the association's approval process, the association's insurance policy, and leasing and pet rules. Florida law gives resale buyers 7 days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) after receiving the association documents to cancel, so plan your review around that window.

What changed in Florida condo law, and why does it matter to buyers?

After the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside in 2021, Florida passed new condo safety laws in 2022, then adjusted them in 2023, 2024 and again in 2025 with HB 913, which took effect July 1, 2025. The short version for buyers: buildings three habitable stories or taller now need milestone inspections and a SIRS, associations must fund reserves for structural items, and sellers must hand you more documents.

HB 913 added some flexibility for associations. Boards can now fund required repairs with special assessments or loans without a prior owner vote, members can approve a line of credit to meet the SIRS reserve schedule (which must be disclosed to later buyers), and an association that completed a milestone inspection in the prior two calendar years can, with a majority vote of all owners, pause reserve contributions for up to two annual budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028. Each of those choices affects what you will pay later, which is why I want you to read the numbers, not just the monthly fee.

What documents does the seller have to give you?

Under Florida Statute 718.503, a resale condo seller must provide, at the seller's expense, current copies of:

• The declaration of condominium, articles of incorporation, bylaws and rules
• The most recent annual financial statement and annual budget
• The milestone inspection summary, if the building has one
• The most recent SIRS, or a statement that none has been completed
• The turnover inspection report, if one was done on or after July 1, 2023
• The Frequently Asked Questions and Answers sheet and a governance summary form

Your cancellation window runs 7 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after you sign and receive these documents. I tell buyers to ask for the documents the day the contract is signed and to block time that week to read them with their lender and, for legal questions, a Florida real estate attorney.

How do you read the SIRS and the reserves?

The SIRS lists major structural components (roof, structure, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, windows and exterior doors), estimates their remaining useful life and replacement cost, and sets a reserve funding schedule. Compare that schedule to the current budget. If the budget funds less than the study recommends, or the association is using a line of credit or a reserve pause, the difference will show up later as higher fees, assessments or debt.

A low monthly fee is not a bargain if the reserves are thin. A higher fee in a building that is fully funded can be the better buy over five or ten years.

What should you ask about special assessments?

Ask the association, in writing, about assessments that are approved, proposed or under discussion. Read the board minutes from the last 12 months, since boards often talk about concrete restoration, roof replacement or elevator work long before a vote. Your purchase contract should say who pays any assessment that is levied before closing, and I make sure we negotiate it on purpose.

For buildings that need inspections or have open repair projects, our page on what the milestone inspection means for condo buyers walks through the reports in detail.

How does association approval work in Palm Beach County?

Many condo associations in Palm Beach County, from Juno Beach and Singer Island to Palm Beach Gardens and Boca Raton, require an application, a background or credit check, and sometimes an interview before a sale can close. Some have a right of first refusal. Approval can take a few weeks, and some boards meet only monthly, especially in summer. Get the application on day one and build the timeline into your closing date.

What insurance questions should you ask?

The association insures the building under its own property policy. You insure your interior, belongings and liability with an HO-6 policy. Ask for the association policy's declarations page, the wind and hurricane deductible, and whether it is written on a replacement cost basis. Then ask your agent about loss assessment coverage, which can help if the association passes a deductible or uninsured loss on to owners. Get your HO-6 quote early, since the building's age and condition affect what you will be offered. Our property insurance guide for Palm Beach County buyers covers how to shop it.

Will a lender approve the building?

Lenders review the condo project, not just you. Reserves, insurance, pending litigation, the share of units owned by investors, delinquencies and open structural repairs can all make a building ineligible for some loan programs. If you are financing, ask your lender to review the building in the first days of the contract. Cash buyers still need to check, because a building that is hard to finance can be harder to resell.

Which rules can change how you live there?

Read the rules before you fall in love with the view. Check leasing minimums and limits, pet size and number, renovation hours and approvals, parking spaces and guest parking, storage, boat slips at waterfront buildings, and hurricane shutter responsibilities. Under HB 913, unless the declaration says otherwise, owners are not charged when the association removes and reinstalls hurricane protection to do its own work.

The unit still needs its own inspection, including a look at windows, sliding doors, the air handler and the water heater. If you are also weighing a single-family home, our guide to how buying works in Palm Beach County explains the full process, and what happens after your offer is accepted covers the timeline.

If you are comparing buildings, I am glad to help you line up the documents side by side. You can book a buyer consultation or call me at 561-352-3056.

Published: July 6, 2026 | Updated: October 16, 2026